Stronglifts 5x5

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Samm471
Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm doing stronglifts 5x5 and I'm happy with the strength I'm gaining but I know a time where come where I will want to change my workout programme. I've only been doing stronglifts for about 7 weeks and plan to continue till end of the year or at least until I'm happy completely with strength gained or stall in lifting. I was just wondering if anyone knows after the SL 5x5 what to move onto next? I was hoping to move to something the can define/sculpt muscles but also include compound moves in with it too like squats etc Thanks :)

Replies

  • rtp_slg52181
    rtp_slg52181 Posts: 73 Member
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    Are you new to lifting?

    If so you can run SL for quite some time before you truly stall(fail to progress after 3deload cycles) on a lift.

    By that time you will have a better sense of yourself and your goals, and hopefully done lots of looking into intermediate lifting programs.

    As for sculpting that has more to do with bodyfat unless you want to bulk and build muscle.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    rtp_slg52181 wrote: »
    Are you new to lifting?

    If so you can run SL for quite some time before you truly stall(fail to progress after 3deload cycles) on a lift.

    By that time you will have a better sense of yourself and your goals, and hopefully done lots of looking into intermediate lifting programs.

    As for sculpting that has more to do with bodyfat unless you want to bulk and build muscle.

    I am new to lifting yes

    Okay well I'm actually reverse dieting as I'm happy with my weight but not body fat I feel like the more weight I lose the thinner I look so need to gain some muscle mass so was planning on doing a recomp and seeing how that goes. If it doesn't work I did plan to bulk and cut and gain muscle that way then possibly get some definition. I'm not sure if that is possible but what other options is there if recomp doesn't work
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
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    Think I've mentioned this to you in the past. However, when I got back into lifting I ran SL for 2 cycles, so 24 weeks. Had stalls, worked through them. Switched because I wanted to switch to something else. I picked 531 since it has the main compounds plus you can add in accessories as needed or part of the programming.
    Every once in a while, usually on a bulk, I'll run a cycle of SL just to see if I can make increased strength gains.
  • rtp_slg52181
    rtp_slg52181 Posts: 73 Member
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    Samm471 wrote: »
    rtp_slg52181 wrote: »
    Are you new to lifting?

    If so you can run SL for quite some time before you truly stall(fail to progress after 3deload cycles) on a lift.

    By that time you will have a better sense of yourself and your goals, and hopefully done lots of looking into intermediate lifting programs.

    As for sculpting that has more to do with bodyfat unless you want to bulk and build muscle.

    I am new to lifting yes

    Okay well I'm actually reverse dieting as I'm happy with my weight but not body fat I feel like the more weight I lose the thinner I look so need to gain some muscle mass so was planning on doing a recomp and seeing how that goes. If it doesn't work I did plan to bulk and cut and gain muscle that way then possibly get some definition. I'm not sure if that is possible but what other options is there if recomp doesn't work

    Recomp is long and hard to really gauge. If you don't want to lose anymore now you may want to lurk the gain weight board. They should be able to help you find your stride.
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    piperdown44 wrote: »
    Think I've mentioned this to you in the past. However, when I got back into lifting I ran SL for 2 cycles, so 24 weeks. Had stalls, worked through them. Switched because I wanted to switch to something else. I picked 531 since it has the main compounds plus you can add in accessories as needed or part of the programming.
    Every once in a while, usually on a bulk, I'll run a cycle of SL just to see if I can make increased strength gains.

    You did sorry memory like a sieve :) I'm
    Still new so I'm not even sure if I should be moving onto anything new im just really eager to try other things and see what else there is incase I'm missing something lol
  • Samm471
    Samm471 Posts: 432 Member
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    rtp_slg52181 wrote: »
    Samm471 wrote: »
    rtp_slg52181 wrote: »
    Are you new to lifting?

    If so you can run SL for quite some time before you truly stall(fail to progress after 3deload cycles) on a lift.

    By that time you will have a better sense of yourself and your goals, and hopefully done lots of looking into intermediate lifting programs.

    As for sculpting that has more to do with bodyfat unless you want to bulk and build muscle.

    I am new to lifting yes

    Okay well I'm actually reverse dieting as I'm happy with my weight but not body fat I feel like the more weight I lose the thinner I look so need to gain some muscle mass so was planning on doing a recomp and seeing how that goes. If it doesn't work I did plan to bulk and cut and gain muscle that way then possibly get some definition. I'm not sure if that is possible but what other options is there if recomp doesn't work

    Recomp is long and hard to really gauge. If you don't want to lose anymore now you may want to lurk the gain weight board. They should be able to help you find your stride.

    Okay thanks very much :)
  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
    edited November 2015
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    Madcow is a rather standard switch. However, 5x5 should take you quite a long way so I wouldn't switch until you're really struggling to see any progress.

    If you just want to go with a program that adds volume go with Westside program: http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Powerlifting/Westside.html

    If you really want to add a bunch of volume go German Volume Training (GVT)
    http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/workout-routines/bad-*kitten*-workout-week-german-volume-training

    I'm personally not a fan, but to each their own. Your diet and dedication is going to play a big part in sculpting so make sure you're in the right frame of mind.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    As your lifts get heavier, you'll eventually need to switch to 3x5 and then 1x5 on your working weight lifts (that's part of the standard SL program). After that, something like Madcow or 5/3/1 would be the next logical step. That can be quite a while -- I was on SL for a year before I switched to Madcow.
  • kotzey32
    kotzey32 Posts: 2 Member
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    Samm471 wrote: »
    I'm doing stronglifts 5x5 and I'm happy with the strength I'm gaining but I know a time where come where I will want to change my workout programme. I've only been doing stronglifts for about 7 weeks and plan to continue till end of the year or at least until I'm happy completely with strength gained or stall in lifting. I was just wondering if anyone knows after the SL 5x5 what to move onto next? I was hoping to move to something the can define/sculpt muscles but also include compound moves in with it too like squats etc Thanks :)

    Pyramids are great for exactly what you are looking for. Put on weight to where you can barely hit the last rep for reps of 12,10,8,6,4,2



  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    Options
    Samm471 wrote: »
    piperdown44 wrote: »
    Think I've mentioned this to you in the past. However, when I got back into lifting I ran SL for 2 cycles, so 24 weeks. Had stalls, worked through them. Switched because I wanted to switch to something else. I picked 531 since it has the main compounds plus you can add in accessories as needed or part of the programming.
    Every once in a while, usually on a bulk, I'll run a cycle of SL just to see if I can make increased strength gains.

    You did sorry memory like a sieve :) I'm
    Still new so I'm not even sure if I should be moving onto anything new im just really eager to try other things and see what else there is incase I'm missing something lol

    Forgot to mention that you were making great strength gains on your deficit. Now that you've transitioned to a reverse diet up to maintenance you'll continue to make strength gains for a while on SL5x5.

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